sleepygirlzzzz

Hello,

I'm brand new to this site but have been searching through the forums and already find it invaluable!

Just to give you a brief background - I'm an American currently living in the UK with my British husband and 2 kids (3.5 and 1.5 years old). We are in the midst of planning a move next year to the Chicago suburbs where I'm originally from. Although I'm a US citizen, I've lived in the UK for the past 10 years and have never actually lived in the US as an adult because I moved to the UK after a year travelling in Australia (after college) where I met my husband. So I have no experience in things like medical insurance, car insurance, etc etc and in particular, in looking for childcare and schools.

If all goes as planned, my daughter will be 4 when the 2013 school year starts - her bday is in Sept so will miss the cut-off - so from what I understand, she'll be preschool age. From the research I've done so far, it looks like the majority of preschools are private and very expensive. Is that correct? I've also been hearing about pre-Kindergarten and have no idea what this is?? And are preschools only half days or are there full day options?

I'm currently a stay-at-home mom but was thinking I might have to go back to work full time once we move. But after doing a bit of research, I can't figure out what I'm going to do with my two kids before work and after work if preschools are only half days. Can anyone offer any advice on what other working parents do with their young children?

What are the options for my son who will be 3 in Sept 2013? My daughter currently goes to nursery here in the UK. Is that what it's called in the US for this age group?

Sorry for the long post but I'm very confused and also trying to figure out if it will even be worthwhile going back to work after paying 2 sets of full time childcare/preschool fees.

Thanks for any advice!!

Noorah101

Hi and Welcome to BE.

I don't have any advice about the child care and school issues, but just wanted to point you in the direction of our US Marriage Based Visa forum, when the time comes to start your husband's Immigrant Visa process: http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=35

One thing to do now, if you haven't been, is to file your most recent 3 years of US tax returns. You will need them as part of your husband's Immigrant Visa process.

Rene

Noorah101

Again, relating to the Immigrant Visa for your husband...you will need to be your husband's financial sponsor for his visa. If you don't have income in the USA, or if your income/his income won't continue from the same source once inside the USA, you can either use assets (cash in the bank works best, at 3x what would be needed in income), or you'll need to line up a Joint Sponsor.

I know these aren't your immediate questions, but just giving you a heads up.

Based on what you've posted, I assume you're thinking of moving to the USA in late summer 2013? The Immigrant Visa process can take up to 10 months to complete, so make sure you get started accordingly. If you're planning to move in August 2013, for example, you'll want to file the I-130 to London by around October 2012. The visa itself will be valid for 6 months after issue, so even if you start earlier, that should work out OK too.

Rene

LillyRobeson

Hiya

We've just moved to the US and one of my children is 5 so we've had to deal with the school issue.

First thing, check the cut-off in the school districts around where you may live. Here in New York City the cut off is 31st Dec. I think the same in my friend's district in CT. Where my other friends live in NJ it's Sept 30th.

If that's the case, your problem is solved as your daughter can go straight into K. It might be a bit of a jump because K is equivalent to Yr 1 but they take things slower than the UK usually in the earlier grades so it should be fine, although I'd check to see how many parents are red-shirting their kids.

If the cut off is earlier in Sept like in the UK, then, yes, it's pre-K (ie reception). There's no automatic right like in the UK but there is some public provision, usually for half days programs. The amount of public provision depends on where you are and you may need to already be living in the area to apply if it's a lottery system. You should also check that the K program is full day. Some K programs are half day (seems bonkers to me - it'd mean a child only goes to school full day in the equivalent of Yr 2!).

Lion in Winter

I live in a Chicago suburb, but the first thing you should do is look up the "Elementary or Grade School District" for whatever suburb ("town") you will be living in. They are all different.

Most school districts here have a cut off date of Sept 1 for kindergarten, but not all.

Some (a few) school districts have a "pre kindergarten" or "early childhood" or "pre school" option, but most of those are for officially low-income parents. Other preschools are private. You can get "full day" but they usually are not full enough to allow parents to work a normal day. On the other hand, some places have "extended care" that means they stay there longer. The term "nursery" is not used. The younger child could go to "day care" or preschool, but might be restricted as to the number of hours he can be in preschool (very part time).

It does all cost a packet, but depending on your financial circumstances, some places, like YMCAs, offer sliding scale fees. For those who do not qualify for fee reductions, pre school and day care are very expensive and it often doesn't make financial sense to go to work if you have to pay for two children to go to preschool or daycare and have another source of income in the family.

Hope this helps, at least on the information front.

GeoffM

It does seem to be different even in adjacent towns. Ours is too young for state-funded school so he has to go to private pre-school. This particular one has kids for up to 10.5 hours per day and you pay for either half or full days (though the difference is minimal so you might as well have the whole day). We can choose the days of the week too.

We pay just over $30 per day but I'm told that's very cheap. We provide lunch (seems to be the norm around here) but they provide two snacks per day and water all day.

He's not eligible for state-funded pre-school/kindergarten as his parents earn too much apparently, though I'd like to know where it goes! The cut-off figure here is about $57k for a family of four, and places are limited anyway. If he did go, it would be for 3 hours per day, 5 days per week - either morning or afternoon, you can have a preference but no guarantee.

A relative's 3 year old gets a couple of free hours 3x per week at after school times (3-5pm I think). Nothing like that around here! Different area y'see.

penguinsix

Here is our wiki on education which might answer a few questions and refresh your memory a bit from when you were here:

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Educat...s_in_school%3F

The cutoff in Illinois is September 1. The child needs to be 5 years old by September 1, but there is a 30-day grace period in which they can get in if the parent so desires. Illinois schools are required to offer kindergarden, but parents are not required to send their children to school until they are six or seven (i.e. first grade).

http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/83/14/8314.pdf

Illinois children must also be uptodate on vaccinations, have a physical and dental exam.

Please note that Hep B is a required vaccination in Illinois and most of the US, but it is not part of the normal course of vaccinations in the NHS. It is a series of 3 shots over six months, so you may want to get started on that over there and save a little money vs. doing it here.

http://www.elvovemd.com/assets/files...mm_Reqmnts.pdf

Bob

Preschool is expensive. Some towns have reduced costs for low income families, but they tend to be limited.

Day Care, for the other kid, will tend to be much more expensive.

Most of these do tend to be a few days a week, part days. You can find full time, but they are even more expensive.

You do get some kind of tax credit at tax time.

What people do, they have family help them out, that seems to be the case where I live at least, mostly grand parents. In our last town, people had nannies or au-pairs from Brazil, because even live in, they were cheaper than day care for a couple of kids.

Also, not that you've asked, but have you got your UK citizenship yet? Worth getting if you can because the way things have changed, it will be very difficult to move back to the UK in the future.

Bob

Damn. You're right, that is cheap!

$600 a month full time a month? That's about 2-3 times cheaper than the rates down this way.

SultanOfSwing

That is a bloody good deal. We paid that for private babysitting with a friend of the family. Now we're with a daycare/preschool that is $198.00/week for our two year old. All we have to supply is nappies and a cheque once a week. That's still a bloody good deal, IMO, and it's 5 minutes down the road from us, too.

Far northern Chicago suburb for the OP's reference ...

nun

I have friends who looked into pre-school for their children and they were shocked at the cost, it was $15k a year per kid if they wanted a full day.

http://www.agassizpreschool.org/enrollment/tuition

Some public pre-schools were a lot cheaper, but were full up. They decided that it wasn't worth it as any second job they got would have had to be pretty well paying to cover all the costs. It will vary depending on where you live, but IMHO I'd have one parent at home with the children until they reach school age. After that it's a lot easier to be a 2 job family.

As far as health insurance goes it usually comes with a job. If you don't have a family plan through your employer you'll have to buy it yourself or get help from the state. The rules vary widely form state to state, but if you can get coverage you will probably be looking at paying premiums of around $1000 a month for a high deductible plan. If you have a plan through your employer, they will pay a percentage of that premium, it might be 50% or 75% and you might not have a high a deductible either.

GeoffM

It's got a good rating on greatschools too. Only 26 kids, separated into classrooms according to age/ability, separate outdoor areas, though combined early morning and late afternoon. Simple but doesn't look too different from the nursery and pre-school he was at in the UK. One up the road was $99 for 3 full days a week.

sleepygirlzzzz

Hi again,

Thank you for your replies. Very helpful already.

I believe that the cut-off in the area we're hoping to move to (Elmhurst in the West suburbs) in Sept 1st so from what I understand my daughter will have to go to pre-school.

Penguinsix - Thanks so much for the links. Very useful info, particularly in regards to the vaccinations. Can you tell me where you found the info on the 30 day grace period for the Sept 1st cut-off? When I first read this, I thought it sounded like a great option but now after reading the NY times article that you linked, I am very worried about what effect being the youngest could have on my daughter. Have to give some serious thought to this. I was always the youngest growing up and don't remember it ever affecting me but everyone around me seems to think it's much better to be the oldest in the year.

Just to add some more background, we have already started the application process for my husband's green card by sending through the I-130 (and only recently submitted my last 3 years tax forms). Actually in regards to tax forms, I've done most of the past 10 years taxes but not all 10. How important do you think it is that I do every single year? Also, as I don't have a salary right now, my brother has kindly agreed to be a co-sponsor.

Thanks again for your advice/info!

Noorah101

You only need to have done the most recent 3 years at the time of the visa interview.

Rene

Bob

Don't get me started on baby sitters...spotty oinked teenagers get $15hr on average.

Someone that's had a background check, CPR and from an agency is usually $20+ with a 4 hour minimum.

It's damn well depressing.